The Prince's Guardians
by Vhii1217
Summary: TezuFuji, AU. The palace might hold the key to Tezuka's forgotten past. When a competition was held to select guardians for the crown prince Shuusuke, Tezuka knew it was the best opportunity to find out more about his past and, perhaps, to avenge.


Disclaimer: PoT is the property of Konomi Takeshi-sensei, who is not me.

A/N: Okay, I know I shouldn't write any multichaptered story anymore. Not when my holiday has ended.

Credit goes to **arisu_sakaguchi**, a friend of mine who built this idea together with me.

Summary: TezuFuji, AU. Tezuka only knew that the palace held the key to his forgotten past. When a competition was held to select guardians for the crown prince Shuusuke, Tezuka knew it was the best opportunity to find out more about his past and, perhaps, to avenge.

_Italic – _flashback, dream, thought

'normal' – thought in flashback

--

_The Prince's Guardians_

_Prologue_

_--_

_The sun had barely risen. A woman slipped out through the back gate of the palace, managing to be as inconspicuous as she could. She was holding a boy's--not older than six--hand._

"_Wait, we can't run like this!" The boy said in disapproving tone when the woman tugged his hand and was ready to flee. "We can't leave Mother there all alone!"_

"_Darling, this is the least I can do for your mother. Her last wish is for you to continue living," the woman looked distraught. "Please don't make it hard for me. I won't be able to face your mother in heaven if you fail to escape."_

_Precisely at that time, a heart-rending scream of a woman's could be heard from the execution yard of the palace. The scream stopped their hearts. It sounded as if someone was being butchered at the moment. The boy's eyes widened in utter horror._

"_It's Mother! Mo—"_

_A shout was heard from inside the palace. The woman quickly grabbed the boy's hand and broke into a hard run towards the woods._

"_Hanako-san!" The boy called desperately, all the while looking back at the palace. _'Mother's still there… Mother is in danger… I can't…' _"We can't--!"_

_The shout got louder. The little boy could hear approaching steps haunting behind them._

"_Oh damn," the woman cursed softly under her breath. "The secret soldiers…."_

_They ran, ran, and ran some more to the depth of the forest behind the castle. In a rush, the sunlight could no longer be seen. The dense canopy above had concealed them safe in the dark._

_The woman, however, didn't cease her running. There were more trees blocking their way, but the woman was determined to get as far as possible from the chasing soldiers. Trunks, thorns, and bushes were ignored._

"_Hanako-san," the boy called in between harsh breathings. "Where are we heading for?"_

_The woman finally halted. She turned around to face the confused little boy. Placing a gentle hand on the boy's cheek, the woman replied with a solemn smile, "Here is the farthest I can bring you to. From now on, you must flee on your own. Out of this forest, get safety. And…" The woman inhaled deeply. "Please forget who you are. Get a new life. Forget your parents, forget your siblings," the woman cringed at her own words._

_The boy's eyes bulged at the command. "How can I?!"_

_Faint sound of running steps echoed from behind them. The woman pushed the little boy forward._

"_Go now, go!"_

_The boy had no choice but to oblige. He didn't want Hanako-san to face the same fate as his mother did. With his mother's heartbreaking scream ringing in his ears; the boy ran as fast as his small legs brought him. Tumbling from root to root, bumping into trunk after trunk, torn by countless thorns, the boy kept running._

---oOo---

"_My, my, what a heavy rain."_

_A middle-aged woman was pacing briskly around the forest's outline. Her left hand was holding a basket full of medical herbs while her right was holding a paper umbrella up._

_The heavy downpour continued to shower the land. The harsh wind didn't help either. It only sent some water to her body, despite the umbrella she was holding._

"_Uhm?" The middle-aged woman hummed a query. There, just at the mouth of the woods, was a motionless heap. Upon closer inspection, the woman gasped. "Kami-sama! Is that a person?"_

_Quickly, the woman approached the lifeless body on the ground and kneeled beside it. She held the umbrella to protect the body from the harsh downpour. The boy, however, had been soaked to the bone._

_Placing her basket down, she gently rolled the body face-upward. Her frame shook as the ashen-white face of a little boy greeted her._

"_Poor kid… poor kid…" The woman quivered as she checked for pulse. A faint beat on the wrist touched the pad of her thumb. She was about to pick the boy up when he suddenly opened his eyes._

"_You're awake!" She exclaimed in surprised jolly. "Are you feeling alright? Are you cold? Let's come to my place, it's warm there—"_

"_Uhh," the boy groaned as he propped himself up. Tired eyes bored into her worried ones._

"_What's your name, young lad?" the woman asked gently. "Why are you here?"_

"_N-Name?" the boy echoed through chattering teeth. He tilted his head as bewilderment and fatigue assaulted him. He was shivering very badly, too. "Kuni… mitsu…"_

_With that, the boy fell unconscious once more._

---oOo---

"_You're awake!" the little boy opened his eyes to find a middle-aged woman's smiling face looming over him. She helped him as he tried to get into sitting position. She then handed him a bowl of steaming porridge. "Here, this will help warming up your inside and restore your energy."_

"_Thank you," the boy nodded courteously, accepting the bowl. He, however, didn't immediately dig in the delicious-smelling meal. He looked up and looked at the woman's slightly wrinkled face. "May I ask you something, Ma'am? Who are you and where is this?"_

_Surprised by the polite manner children his age rarely possessed, the woman beamed pleasantly, "My name is Ryuzaki Sumire. This place is a dojo and I'm the owner of it. Yesterday evening I found you at the mouth of the forest, wet and alone, so I took you here."_

_The boy frowned lightly. "Forest?"_

"_Yes," Ryuzaki confirmed. "How did you get there on your own, Kunimitsu?"_

_The boy tilted his head in bewilderment. "Kunimitsu?"_

"_That's your name, right? You told me so yesterday," Ryuzaki said._

"_Oh?" the boy looked down at the bowl on his lap. "I don't think I remember."_

_Ryuzaki's eyes widened at his words. _'This boy… forgets everything?'

_Just then, a knock was heard from outside the dojo house._

"_Must be a student or a guest. I leave you for a moment. Take your time to eat," the woman gave a warm smile before sauntering outside the bedroom to answer the door._

_The boy hesitantly picked the spoon up and started to eat. Finding the porridge good enough, he quickly fed himself. He had just remembered how hungry and cold he felt._

_Finishing his food and putting the empty bowl aside, he got up from the hard bed he sat upon earlier and went out of the room. He thought he heard some noises. He let his feet take him towards the source of the voices._

_Peeking from behind a bamboo wall, he saw Ryuzaki in the supposedly living room of the dojo. Across her, a couple of man and woman at their early thirties were sitting. The three of them were conversing happily._

"_I really hope I have a child so that I can send them to study here-- ne, Ryuzaki-sensei, who is that?" the woman pointed at his direction. Ryuzaki turned around._

"_Ah, that's Kunimitsu," she answered warmly. "Come here, Kunimitsu, greet Tezuka-san."_

_Albeit feeling alien at the name Ryuzaki called him, the boy slowly walked into the living room._

"_These are Tezuka Kuniharu and Ayana," Ryuzaki introduced the couple. "Tezuka-san, this is Kunimitsu."_

_The boy bowed politely without reciting his name. The couple's eyes twinkled upon him._

"_Such a handsome boy," Ayana said endearingly. "Is he your grandchild, Ryuzaki-sensei?"_

"_No," the dojo owner shook her head. "I found him yesterday evening at the forest in the rain. He seems to forget everything, though."_

"_Forget everything?" Kuniharu questioned._

"_Yesterday he told me his name. But this morning he didn't even remember it."_

_The Tezukas eyed him tenderly. Then suddenly Ayana spoke, "Ryuzaki-sensei, do you mind if we take him as our child?"_

_Kunimitsu looked up at the couple. _'Take me as their child…?'

_Kuniharu nodded at the suggestion. "We have dreamt of having a child since forever. Please grant this wish, Ryuzaki-sensei."_

_The middle-aged woman turned to look at the confused boy and then at the determined couple. She heaved a sigh, "I don't have any right concerning Kunimitsu. It depends on his decision."_

_The couple looked at him hopefully. Their eyes twinkled so merrily that he didn't have the heart to reject. After all, he couldn't bother Ryuzaki-sensei. She was his savior but nothing more. There was this generous family who offered to take care of him. Why should he reject?_

"_Aa. I'd love to, if it'd not be any bother."_

_The brief answer meant everything to the couple. Hugging their newfound son in pure happiness, they said, "Welcome to our family. You are now Tezuka Kunimitsu."_

---oOo---

"_Wait, we can't run like this!" The boy said in disapproving tone when a woman with blurred face tugged at his hand and was ready to flee. They were at somewhere behind a grand complex. "We can't leave Mother there all alone!"_

"_Darling, this is the least I can do for your mother. Her last wish is for you to continue living," the woman hissed in frustration, sounding as if she were about to cry. "Please don't make it hard for me. I won't be able to face your mother in heaven if you fail to escape."_

"_Aaaagh-AAAAAAAAGGGHH!!!"_

"MOTHER!" Tezuka Kunimitsu bolted up from his slumber. The scream still rang ominously in his ears.

His chest heaved up and down quickly. Beads of sweat trickled down his appalled face. He took a deep breath and closed his amber eyes in attempt to calm himself.

That was the third time he had that nightmare in a week span. Often the dream plagued him even in his awakened state. The dream was not very clear, but felt so real. He could only see a little boy—presumably himself, judging from the similarity with the portrait of him as a child—and a faceless woman who seemed very much in frustration. They were trying to escape… from what?

And a palace… there was a palace… they were at the back gate of a palace. Which palace? How could a mere civil like him be near a palace?

Tezuka shook his head vehemently to clear his head. It was just a dream. A dream should not be taken seriously.

He opened his shining hazel eyes as the door to his bedroom creaked open. Tezuka Ayana was standing behind it with worry written all over her face.

"Kunimitsu…" the lady entered the room and settled down beside her son. She touched his arm gently. "Nightmare again?"

The addressed son nodded wordlessly. "It's nothing. Sorry for making you worry, Mother."

He knew he had screamed the word 'mother' in his wakening. Ayana had been his mother for these twelve long years and even if he knew she wasn't the woman who gave birth to him, he didn't remember any other mother he ever had. His past was hazy and unclear, so much that his life started at six years old. Before that, he didn't have a clue.

But Kunimitsu was painfully aware of the difference of feelings lingering on his tongue when he called Ayana and when he screamed the 'mother' in his dream.

He closed his eyes and shook his head again. It wouldn't bring any good for him to think about it too much. The dreams were already annoying enough, let alone pondering it for the rest of the day.

"Kunimitsu?" Ayana called her son once she realized he was zoning out.

"Mn?"

"Ryuzaki-sensei sent a letter. She said she got a notification from the palace."

The word 'palace' triggered his attention. His eyes snapped open and he turned to look at his mother.

"The palace held a selection to find decent men to be the crown prince's guardians," Ayana continued. "Since you are one of her best students, she suggested you to join the competition."

The hazel eyes gleamed and shone with determination. While the Tezuka family would forever be his family, while Kuniharu and Ayana would forever be his sole parents, Kunimitsu did want to know more about his past. He wouldn't give as much as a thought had the chance not arisen. But this selection was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to enter the royal palace. The place that--as his dream told him--held all the things about him, his real parents, and his life that were taken away from him at the age of six.

That way, he could find out the truth about the mother he called in his nightmares, the mother that pushed him into another life for the sake of living, the mother that screamed in crushing pain while all he could do was running away...

His face hardened. Perhaps, he was also bound to make revenge.

**TBC**

A/N: This won't be updated regularly. Blame my high school third year.

R&R please!


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